JBL Tune Beam 2 is the newest actually wi-fi stereo (TWS) by the corporate, launched as part of the Tune Sequence 2 in April. The TWS arrives two years after its predecessor, Tune Beam, and comes with considerably improved specs and new options. This improve seems to be a part of the Los Angeles, California-based audio large’s latest shift in technique, which we now have additionally seen with its different gadgets. JBL now seems to be specializing in providing feature-rich gadgets with in depth customisation, which is sensible given the present market state of affairs.
For Rs. 5,499, it enters the market in a aggressive phase that’s not solely focused by audio corporations but in addition by smartphone producers. Which means that the JBL Tune Beam 2 not solely has to compete with the {hardware} capabilities of manufacturers like Sony and Skullcandy but in addition with the ecosystem integration and software program compatibility of smartphone manufacturers reminiscent of Realme and OnePlus.
The JBL Tune Beam 2 comes with improvements on each fronts, that includes spatial audio, efficient lively noise cancellation (ANC), and the brand new Personi-Fi 3.0-powered personalised audio profile. During the last month, I’ve been utilizing the TWS as my day by day driver to know the expertise they ship and discover out whether or not JBL has packed the earphones with sufficient energy to woo a various client base. Let’s get right down to the brass tacks.
JBL Tune Beam 2 Design and Options: Fundamental however Comfy
- Measurement – 33.4 x 22.6 x 25 mm (Earphones); 61.5 x 29.15 x 47 mm (Case)
- Weight – 5.2g (Every earphone); 42g (with case)
- Water and mud resistance – IP54 (Earphones solely)
- Colors – Black, Blue, and White
I obtained the Blue variant, and truthfully, I just like the pastel-like color on it. The case design of the JBL Tune Beam 2 would not provide a lot to jot down house about. It has a generic soap-like oval-vertical form with an upright profile, according to basic JBL designs. It’s barely cumbersome, and when pocketed, you’ll really feel its presence. The highest-hinged lid incorporates a agency magnetic closure, and the matte plastic physique has a tender, tactile really feel. There are three vertical LED lights on the entrance to point pairing and cost ranges and a USB-C charging port is positioned on the backside.
The earphone case has a plastic physique with matte end. They really feel premium to the touch and maintain.
The case is pretty minimalist, aside from the JBL emblem marked on the entrance and the product identify engraved on the again. Though the case seems premium, the lid does barely squeak and creak even with the slightest push. Notably, for those who’re extra accustomed to the flatter pebble-shaped, horizontally-oriented instances (suppose Realme Buds Air 7 Professional or the OnePlus Buds 3), this one will take a while to get used to.
Opening the lid reveals the stem-style earbuds with LED indicators that will help you know after they’re on and are paired. JBL upheld the expectations with its comfy, tender silicone ear ideas. Whereas every ear is completely different, mine have been a comfortable match even throughout sweaty health club periods. At simply 5.2g, the earbuds are light-weight, and I didn’t expertise any inconvenience even after hours of steady use.
The earbuds have a matte end on the prime and a shiny end on the surface of the stem, the place the contact sensors are positioned. Regardless of the matte end, pulling out the earbuds was generally uncomfortable, as their form made them slippery. I’d have most popular a bit extra grippier texture.
JBL Tune Beam 2 earbuds function an IP54 score, which suggests they’ll deal with the occasional dusty palms, sweat and light-weight rain. As is the norm, the earbuds do include gesture-based contact controls that assist you to management playback, decide up incoming calls, and toggle ANC and ambient consciousness modes. The controls may also be customised by way of the companion app. The controls are fairly touch-sensitive; nevertheless, there have been cases the place I needed to faucet a few instances earlier than it registered an interplay.
JBL Tune Beam 2 App and Specs: Choices Aplenty
- Driver – 10mm
- Companion App – JBL Headphones app
- Gesture controls – Sure (faucet)
The JBL Tune Beam 2 earphones are appropriate with the JBL Headphones app, which is on the market on each iOS and Android gadgets. The app opens a window to a lot of customisation settings, in addition to the corporate’s new Personi-Fi 3.0 function, which lets you personalise the system’s sound profile based mostly in your sound notion.
Right here, I should level out that my expertise with the companion app was not very easy. In a number of cases, the app wouldn’t join with the earphones regardless of them being paired, and I must reconnect the earphones to entry the settings. On different events, navigating by the app was a sluggish expertise.
The earphones include JBL’s Spatial Audio which provides a layer of depth to the listening expertise.
However when the app connects, you can find three principal sections, Common, Audio, and Others, to tweak your audio expertise. The primary options controls for Ambient Sound, and it permits you to activate and swap between ANC, Ambient Conscious (transparency mode), and Speak Via (talk-through) modes. It additionally has choices for Sensible Audio (which curates completely different audio profiles for music and movies), in addition to gesture controls.
Notably, whilst you can choose completely different gesture controls for every earbud, there is no such thing as a à la carte therapy. This implies you’ll be able to choose one of many three management teams — Ambient Sound Management, Quantity Management, and Playback Management — for every earbud, however you’ll be able to’t have controls for all three on the similar time. The earbuds help single and double faucets, in addition to tap-and-hold gestures.
Sadly, the JBL Tune Beam 2 doesn’t help a few of the extra premium options that you simply get within the costlier JBL Dwell Beam 3 (assessment right here). These embrace Test My Greatest Match, which tells you if there may be any audio leak and for those who want completely different ear ideas, and Sensible Speak, which lets you choose the sensitivity for speech detection (for Speak Via). Since these are primarily software-driven options, I used to be shocked to study that the corporate didn’t embrace them.
Coming to the Audio part, right here you’ll be able to customise the equaliser and both decide from eight presets or create your individual customized experiences. Whenever you create an equaliser curve manually, it’s also saved throughout a number of gadgets, so you do not have to create it once more for those who resolve to pair one other smartphone. There are additionally choices for Spatial Sound, Sound Stability, Quantity Limiter, and Sound Stage Optimisation. Moreover, you can too entry Personi-Fi from this window. Lastly, there’s the Others part, which performs enjoyable sounds, helps you find your earbuds, and incorporates a power-saving mode.
Lastly, speaking concerning the specs, the JBL Tune Beam 2 earphones function 10mm dynamic drivers, the corporate’s Spatial Sound know-how, and help AAC and SBC codecs. No LDAC compatibility, sadly. You will additionally get help for Bluetooth 5.3 with multi-point connectivity. The earphones additionally assist you to arrange the extent of ANC, which is a reasonably handy addition.
JBL Tune Beam 2 Efficiency and Battery Life: First rate
- Codec Help: SBC, AAC, JBL Spatial Sound
- Charging – Wired (USB Sort-C)
- Bluetooth – 5.3
Whenever you spend above Rs. 5,000 on a pair of earphones, sure expectations naturally observe, and on most counts, the JBL Tune Beam 2 delivers. Let’s begin with ANC. If the silicone ideas match snugly in your ear, the ANC efficiency will impress you. Throughout outside utilization, the earphones block many of the loud noises coming from automobiles and the close by crowd, and also you solely hear a slight muffled noise. Its efficiency surpassed my expectations for low, mid, and high-frequency noises.
Indoors is even higher, and the function shuts out the sound of the AC, the ceiling fan, the TV within the corridor, or loud neighbours all the identical. Moreover, for those who desire a much less intense ANC expertise, you’ll be able to all the time regulate the extent utilizing the companion app. If ANC is one thing you worth, that is probably the perfect system you’ll be able to select on this value vary. Based mostly on my workforce’s expertise, it outperforms each the Realme Buds Air 7 Professional and the OnePlus Buds 3 (assessment right here).
Now, shifting to the precise audio efficiency, you’ll not end up unimpressed for those who desire earphones that lean bass-heavy. Harman’s fine-tuning units the system completely for punchier numbers reminiscent of The Weeknd’s Starboy and Speak by Hozier. Whereas a transparent and well-defined bass is a spotlight, the mids and the vocals are additionally not muddy, because of the companion app. This implies you’ll be able to comfortably benefit from the haunting vocals of Adele’s Somebody Like You or immerse your self in Sluggish Dancing in a Burning Room by John Meyer.
ith ANC on and quantity between 50 to 60 p.c, I used to be capable of get round eight hours with ANC and 10 hours with out it.
I used to be additionally a fan of the broader soundstage (corresponding to the JBL Dwell Beam 3, which prices Rs. 13,999), which places you on the entrance and centre of any music that has been upmixed by Dolby Atmos or comparable encompass know-how, and allows you to expertise completely different devices from completely different instructions and depth. The identical goes for TV exhibits and, motion pictures, and gaming (determining the route of footsteps in BGMI was a bit of cake).
The audiophiles may be disillusioned, nevertheless, that the earphones don’t help lossless music or the LDAC codec. Nevertheless, that’s typically not one thing you see supplied on this value vary, so it shouldn’t be a lot of a problem. Then again, whereas the system does include spatial audio help, it’s extra of a gimmick than an actual game-changer. Should you do wish to mess around with the latency, you’ll be able to check out the completely different audio modes within the companion app. Moreover, the earphones would not have in-ear detection, which I discovered to be fairly disappointing.
Nevertheless, JBL does go away you wanting within the calling division. Whereas it’s identified that TWS doesn’t provide good microphone high quality, the JBL Tune Beam 2 seems to be underperforming even on that low expectation. On a number of events, I discovered the voice high quality to be mechanical and crammed with ambient noises. Callers have additionally seen that the sound of my room’s ceiling fan was picked up greater than my voice. Whereas indoors, it was nonetheless manageable; nevertheless, outside calls have been practically inconceivable because of the increased ambient noise. If telephone calls and conferences are a precedence, the Realme Buds Air 7 Professional (assessment right here) might be a better option for you.
Lastly, the battery lifetime of the JBL Tune Beam 2 has genuinely impressed me. In response to JBL, you get roughly 10 hours of battery life with ANC enabled and three extra prices from the case, totalling 40 hours of playtime. In my testing, the numbers got here fairly shut. With ANC on and quantity between 50 to 60 p.c, I used to be capable of get round eight hours with ANC and 10 hours with out it. The case additionally lasted me two full cost cycles, bringing it near 30 hours of playtime. On average utilization, this meant I might go a complete week while not having to cost my system. The charging time from zero to 100 takes roughly two hours. Notably, the charging case additionally helps fast charging.
JBL Tune Beam 2 Verdict
After utilizing the JBL Tune Beam 2 for greater than a month, I really feel these earphones are ok to be the day by day driver of anybody who likes a bass-heavy expertise with out compromising on mids and vocals. On the value of Rs. 5,499, it fares higher within the audio expertise in comparison with rivals such because the Realme Buds Air 7 Professional, OnePlus Buds 3, and Oppo Enco Air 3 Professional (assessment right here). The heavy customisability, sturdy ANC, and lengthy battery life additionally add to the worth of those earphones.
JBL Tune Beam 2 provides a bass-heavy expertise with out compromising on mids and vocals.
Nevertheless, I used to be not impressed with the microphone high quality, and never having in-ear detection was additionally a letdown. Regardless of the big variety of customisation instruments within the companion app, its unreliability in connecting with the earbuds and the general sluggish expertise made me not wish to use it a lot in any respect. Plus, the case is considerably cumbersome, and for those who put on denims lots, anticipate it to bulge out of your pockets barely. If any of those are a precedence for you, you are higher off with any of the opposite choices talked about.
